Creative Spaces - Workshop Tool for Interacting with Real Estate & Public Authorities

Creative Spaces - Workshop Tool for Interacting with Real Estate & Public Authorities

Halogen contract: NOK 157,500 (ex. VAT).

Meeting food, materials, venue rental.

MØST project leader (~20% position during the period).
Mid-November 2024 – April 30, 2025
Trond Moe-Larsen
Contact

Define Focus Areas

Based on your findings in Step 1, a specific development project may stand out as particularly relevant. You can choose to focus the workshop around one concrete project.

Alternatively, you may take a broader city-wide approach, using fictional cases to explore general barriers and opportunities.

The level of specificity is up to you and should reflect your local situation and goals for the process.

Initial Stakeholder Analysis and Partnerships

In our first pilot, we conducted interviews with stakeholders from the cultural sector, municipal planning, and private real estate development. These conversations formed the basis for our stakeholder descriptions and helped identify local barriers and opportunities.

This phase can be scaled depending on your needs. If you already have insight into stakeholder perspectives, you may choose a lighter approach before the workshop.

To explore current needs, challenges, and relevant projects, you can use the “Moderator Cheat-Sheet” as a template for semi-structured conversations with selected stakeholders.

Partnerships are essential and will depend on your role and how your city is organised. MØST’s pilot succeeded through collaboration with a service design company (Halogen) and a business support organisation for real estate developers.

Their combined expertise helped bridge cultural and urban development perspectives, shaping a process that was practical and inclusive. In other contexts, partnering with the municipality or others who have an overview of local development may be equally valuable — even if convening actors is not formally part of their mandate.

Supporting materials:
Semi-structured conversation “Moderator Cheat-Sheet" (PDF)

Find the Right Participants and Invite

The workshop works best when it includes three main groups: creatives, developers, and municipal representatives. The quality and relevance of participants will strongly influence the outcome.

Use a salience model (power, legitimacy, urgency) to prioritise participants who can contribute meaningfully. Avoid inviting only “the usual suspects.” Aim for diversity in roles and perspectives. The actor cards in the workshop can help illustrate typical needs, values, and contributions across sectors.

Before sending a written invitation, consider scheduling a short video call with each participant. This helps clarify expectations, intended outcomes, and what they will gain from taking part.

Choose a venue that reflects the theme — such as an unused building, redevelopment site, or the specific location in focus.

Create an engaging but professional atmosphere with food, informal networking, and space for open dialogue.

Supporting materials:
Salience Model (PPT)

The Card Game Workshop

This is the core of the tool. Participants use actor cards and scenario boards to explore possible alliances between sectors, guided by a facilitator.

Wildcards introduce real-world dynamics such as policy shifts, media attention, or funding changes. The game structure helps level hierarchies and encourages equal participation.

The workshop can conclude with clusters of “big questions,” “visions,” and “measures” — giving participants tangible outcomes to bring back to their organisations.

Duration: approximately three hours
Suggested group size: 10–20 participants

Supporting materials:
Workshop Agenda (short) (PDF)
Workshop Agenda Facilitators Version (PDF)
Canvas Workshop (PDF)
Cards & Scenarios (PDF)

This tool provides a structured way to bring municipalities, cultural actors, and property developers together to explore how space can support music and culture.

It helps clarify different needs, value contributions, and how collaboration can create benefits beyond individual interests. Use it to surface perspectives, define roles, and explore how temporary use and partnerships can contribute to long-term, sustainable urban development.

The tool grew out of a pilot project in Oslo led by Musikkontoret MØST, carried out in collaboration with partners including the service design company Halogen.

Every city is different. Be aware of local plans, ongoing processes, and development projects before you begin. The tool includes guidance on how to adapt the process to your local context and challenges.

At its core, this is a dialogue tool — designed to spark ideas, strengthen relationships, and connect key actors.

Follow-Up and Action Points

After the workshop, share a summary of insights along with a simple reflection or action-planning model, such as the Idea Mapping Tool. This helps maintain momentum and supports longer-term engagement.

Encourage participants to discuss the outcomes internally and use the templates provided to connect workshop insights to real strategies or projects.

You may also consider hosting a public panel discussion where key ideas are presented and debated. This can strengthen ownership of emerging initiatives and broaden engagement across sectors.

Supporting materials:
Idea Mapping Tool (PDF/Excel)

Creative Spaces - Workshop Tool for Interacting with Real Estate & Public Authorities

Trond Moe-Larsen